Thanksgiving is behind us and so is the German Pioneers Day that
saw an official celebration in Toronto at Queen’s Park for the
first time, including a Flag raising ceremony, with which we
were already familiar. Chris Klein of the Historical Society of
Mecklenburg Upper Canada covered the Toronto event, while I will
report on Kitchener, where this year’s celebration was as grand
as ever.

A new private International German School is to be build, with a
totally green concept financed with local money. Nothing for
Otto Normalverbraucher, this one is solely for people with a
bottomless amount of money to send their kids to a school that
will put them into an elite class system, sort of like the idea
of our Upper Canada College. This idea, pushed forward by the
Consulate General in Toronto has caused a bit of a conversation,
pro and con. No matter what anyone thinks, it is a project that
will be going on and hopefully be finished for the most part
next summer to accommodate its 58 students. Once it is properly
established it hopes to attract more students, and as the school
fills up the tuitions might even drop a bit.

We went to the first concerts of the season, like Via Salzburg’s
first one in the new venue of Rosedale United Church and we are
looking forward to more music there, because the sound is
superb.

The Toronto Symphony always had marvelous concerts and I went to
hear a concert with Stravinsky, Mozart and Rachmaninoff that
knocked my sox off and now we are looking forward to Opera
York’s offering of Madame Butterfly.

We also attended an afternoon of German Lieder in the Hansa Club
which was rather delightful.

Now our attention can be placed on the coming events of the
season, which is, you guessed it, Christmas. Many stores have
already all their Christmas decorations done to entice shoppers
to get that special feeling that makes us want to buy something
nice for someone nice. There are many ways of doing it and we
personally love to go to Christmas Bazaars. Watch out for the
one in your church or club, like the Danube Swabian Club in
Scarborough, or the by now famous one in Kitchener. Most of them
start already in November. So make sure you have the dates
correct. Check the ads.

All the things you cannot get at our traditional markets you
surely will find in plenty supply elsewhere and I understand
that some great bargains are to be had this year. Retailers are
up for it after a not so hot shopping year. One thing is of
course essential, the right wine with all that fabulous food we
all will no doubt indulge in. I am looking forward to my yearly
treat of champagne. I love the one Reif produces; it has such
marvelous tiny carbonated bubbles. The other Sekt I adore is
very rare and usually hard to come by, mostly just once a year
and that is the Krim Sekt from the Ukraine. The red one
especially has stolen my heart. Get it at the LCBO before they
run out!

I hope to see lots of you at all our favorite happenings and
wish you a merry pre-Christmas season.